Railway-gate



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. W. JOHNSON. RAILWAY GATE.

No. 450,235. Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

(No Model.) I 4 Sheets'- Sheet 2; 0. W. JOHN$ON.

RAILWAY GATE. No. 450,235. Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

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0. W. JOHNSQN.

RAILWAY GATE.

Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

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(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 4.

0.. W. JOHNSON. RAILWAY GATE.

No. 450,235. Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

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UNITED "STATES PATENT OFF CE.

OLIVERXVA RREN JOHNSON, OF BUCYRUS, OHIO.

RAI LWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,235, datedApril 14, 1891.

. Application filed JulyB, 1889. Serial No. 3161 (N model-l 7 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER WARREN J OHN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bucyrus, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Gates; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to railroad-gates and means for operating the same from an appreaching train.

The improvement consists of the novel features and the peculiar construction and com bination of the parts, which will be hereinafl ter more fully described and claimed, and

which are shown in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the gate arranged at right angles to the track. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the gate arranged parallel with the track. Fig. 3 is a diagram matical view. Fig. at is a perspective view of the shaft that carries the trip-arms. Fig. 5 shows a side view of the trip-arms, a front view of the casting to which the trip-arms are secured, and a side view of the pin for connecting the triparm with the casting. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the bearing-block, showing'the retaming-springs; Fig. 7, a side view of 'the trip-arm; Fig. 8, a detail view of the catch for holding the gate shut. Fig. 9 is a detail view, partly in section, of the upper part of the post which supports the gate and the warningboard. Fig. 10 is a front view of the shaft that carries the warning-board trips. Fig. 11 is an end View of the shaft shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 12 'is a side view of the warning-board sheave and stem and a perspective View of the eyebolt to which the spring that returns the warning-board to a normal position is attached. Fig. 13 is a side and front view of the stop-casting and a side view of the double hook which secures the spring and cable to the warning-board sheave. Fig. 14 is a crosssection of the case that incloses the warningboard-operating devices. Fig. 15 is a side view of the gate-hinge rod. Fig. 16 is a side.

Fig. 19 is f My description 'and'drawings represent an f east-and-west railroad with north-and-south Wagon-road crossing it. This will be remembered by the reader and this description will 7 have the same bearing on any road running.-

in any direction of the compass.

These gates are for the purpose of keeping people, teams, and stock off the track when trains are approaching and passing by. They are situated substantially as hereinafter "de scribed. There may be under this head two classes or kinds of railroad-gates, their differ ence consisting of the'following: One class has but two gates, while the other has four.

The apparatus and connections are the same for both classes, except that the system of Y four gates has two swinging cables more than the system comprising but two gates, which gates are differently disposed fromthe fourgate system, as hereinafter described.

lhe gates, four 1n number, are designated on the drawings by the figures 1 1, and are made of wood, after the manner of any swinging gate, being hung on posts 2 by iron rods and eyebolts 18, which hereinafter will be more particularly described. These gates are set in two positions. Either one can be successfully used.

keep stock, people, and teams off the track until coming trains are passed.

The gates are disposed two 1 1 on the north side of the track (one on each side of the wagon-road) and two 1 Pen the south side,

(one on each side of wagon-road same asthe v In" one position, that shown in Fig. 1 the gates answer two purposes: first; they keep when shut-stock and people from. going up or down the track, thus making a cattle-guard unnecessary, and when open they gates on north side of track,) and are arranged to swing from center of track to center of wagon-road. square.

stated before, and are long enough to reach from center of track or tracks (in case there Thus the four gates form a These gates are hung on posts 2, as

be two or more) so far from the track that a passing train will not strike them when open to railroad. The other position of the gates is as shown in Fig. 2, in which they are set two on each side of the track at such a distance therefrom that the ends of the gates on opposite sides of the track will not meet in center thereof.

Having the gates arranged as first described does away with the cattle-guard and guards the wagon-road at the same time, while a1' ranging them as last described guards the wagon-road only.

Fig. 1 represents the gates meeting in center of track. Fig. 2 shows gates setolf from the track, and the onlj, difference in the mechanism for operating the gates consists in lengthening the swinging cables for the gates shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 also represents the ole-gate, which canbe tiscd in place of the anel-gates in a cold climate where there is lenty or snow. It will not be hindered by snow-banks as quick as the others will, the operatinginechanism' and connections being thesaine in each instance.

Torn-r0613 has its upper end bent at a sharp angleand inserted in and through the post end of the gate, and a nut 3 is screwed thereon. To the lower end of two of the rods 3, which correspond with the west pair "of gates on opposite sides of the road, is keyed the able-sheave 4, a castgiroh cable-wheel threetoiirthscf an inch thick at its run, eight inches in diameteiyand one and one-half inch in thickness at the hill). There are sin of these sheaves all the same sine and umbered follows: 44,10 lo, and 15 15. The position of each will beni'ore particn la rl'y described herei after. At bottoin end of the same tnrni'ods 3, which extend into the ground far enongh to enterthe trough or box inclcsing the cables 14. (which run under the wagon-road to the sheave 15 on the turn-posts of the east pair of gates) are keyed the cablesh av'es'lo, before described-. Said sheaves lOhave fastened to them the cables 14. Th esc cables aiie, ordinary cables three eighths of an inch in thickness and extend from sheaves 1O theroad in boxes or troughs to sheaves 1'5 andar'e crossed, and each has two turn-buckles 7 in it to tighten or loosen it, as desired. The cable-sheaves are keyed on the *tnrnajods 3 of the east pair of gates and are used for the purpose of urning the rods cto o en shift the said east pair of gates by means of the cables 14. Cables 5 are come mon one-half inch cables connecting sheaves 4 with the main cable-sheave 13, and the one on the south side of the track (see Fig. 3) is not crossed. These are the cables that are lengthened a nd shortened by having the gates set off from or near to the railroad. These cables have two turn-buckles 7 on each one .4 to tighte or loosena may be desired, and two spiral springs 6. These springs are strong and flciiible, capable of bearing a sudden strain. The object of having these springs in these cables is this: hen the train strikes the trips 27 and tnrnstheinitis done so quickly thatsomethingwould breakif everything were tightly connected; but, as these springs are in the cables, one on each side of the cable, (four in all) to give when pulled from either way, the trips can be turned and caughtalmost before the gates move, and no sudden jar'ivill be felt by the gate. The swinging cable-sheave 13 has two one-half-inch grooves, and may be cast with a corresponding doublegrooved sheave 17 of1' secured to the shaft on which said sheave 17 is keyed. Said sheaves center of the plates to r ceive the journals of the sheaves l7 and 13. These sheaves l7 and 13, inclosed in casing 19, are placed in the center of the track between the gate=posts, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Swinging cables 5 are connected to sheave 13 and inain cables 11 are connected to sheave 17. Main cables 11 are fivc-eighths inch cables, with We turnbnckles in each to tighten or loosen them, as desired, and connect the gates to the trips by being fastened to sheave 17 at one end and to trip-shaft sheaves 24. at the other end.

Gate latch or lock 9 consists of three pieces 0i". iron A, B, and G. The latch A is elbow haped its top arm is one and one hali inch thick atits catch end, andhas a square notch cut in it to hook over "catch D and keep the gate from coming too far around or string ing back again. The vertical arin of the latch tapers down to three-fourths of an inch square and the cable 8 is fastened to it. C is the plate holding catch Band is screwed on the buttend of the gate near bottom, E is a pin which acts as a rest or stop fcrlatch A, keepin the spiral spring F from pulling said latch A too far down. B is the plate screwed or bolted on th gate-post opposite to catch 0-, and has a pin G, on which latch A is in'onnte'd.

27 represents the trip-arms, which are crescent-shaped ieces of wrought-iron threelfourths of an inch thick, two and one-half inches wide, and seven and one-half or eight inches lo g. The object of having the trip crescenhshaped is to allow the tripper on the engine to force the feast arm -28'downin'to the catch-springs 29 (on journal-bearin '26.) As the tripperreaches only about to a ievel with the rail, the crook in arm '27 is necessary to accomplish that end, (to make casting 28 catch in spring29.) The cast iron arm '28 is to hold arm 27 in proper position, and the spiral spring 32 is slipped into place and the washer 31 adjusted and the pin 30 put through all and fastened. The washer 3i hasa hexagon bushing or cushion that fits in the hole on arm 28, the purpose being to keep the washer from turning when arm 27 is pushed the wrong-way and the spring 32 is strained to bringitback again, as one end of the spring is fastened to said washer. The object of having the arm jointed is this: After an engine has turned one trip down, of course the other one stands up. In case there should be an unusually low oil-box or something broken about the train, and it should hit the arm standing up, instead of breaking it will bend forward when struck, and spring 32 will throw it back in place after the obstruction passes by. These trip-arms are put on the end of a shaft called the trip-shaft 23. There are two arms 27, last described, to each trip-shaft 23. Said shaft is three feet longer than the space between the railroad-rails and is placed under the rails and up against them. Next to the trip-arm is a wrought-iron box 26, in the center of which is formed the bearing for shaft 23 to work in. Two steel springs 29, shaped as shown, are fastened to said box, one on each side of the bearing, to hold the arms 27 against all the strain the gates will put on them, and yet when the tripper on the engine strikes the arm 27 the arm 28 will pull out of spring 29 on one side and the other arm will become engaged with the other spring 29. As there are eight of these springs and four used at a time, they will hold the gates solid against any ordinary storm, and as the cables are firmly connected between the trips when one pair of trips is pressed forward the other pair of trips will be disengaged from one set of springs 29 and pressed forward and engaged with the springs 29 on the other side of the box. The object of having these springs is this: The trains run so fast that the act of striking the trips and passing them is almost instantaneous, and as the gates are protected by the spring 6 froma sudden jerk said gates will not move near so rapidly as the trips. Hence if the trips were not caught and held when pressed down they would fly back. The springs 29 prevent the trips 28 from moving back until positively operated. As these springs 29 are not made with sharp angles for catches, they will allow the triparms 28 to pull out when sufficient force is applied.

Next to the cable-sheave 24 on shaft 23 is placed box or bearing 25, which is identical with boxes 26 without the springs. Said box 25 is inverted and is secured to the ties and is designed to keep shaft 23 from springing in the center.

Trips 27 are placed some distance from the gates both ways, (east and west,) say onequarter or one-half mile, or farther, if, desired. Fifty or one hundred yards or farther beyond the trips 27 in the direction away from the gates is placed the warning-board trip 47.

Trip-arm 47 is weighted at its lower end to balance and hold the arm in a vertical position. The cable 35 is fastened to the bottom of the trips 47 and extends to the gates on the intervening ties through pulleys that are placed at intervals. When at the gate they pass through double-cable pulley 12 and unite in one strand, said strand continues onto gatepost through pulleys 49 into casing 34 and around sheave 37 on the side toward which the warning-board swings and is fastened in hook 38.

The warning-board 33 is five or six feet in length, more or less, ten or twelve inches wide, and one inch thick, and is inserted in a slot in the top end of the shaft 36. on the lower end of shaft 36 is keyed sheave 37, with a' hook 38 screwed upon it to hold or fasten cable 35 and spiral spring 42 thereto. The hook 38 is double-ended, and when spring 42 and cable 35 are put in the hooked ends of 38 these ends are closed or pressed down to the body or plate of the hook, thus'holding the spring and cable firmly.

The spiral'spring 42 is the means for returning the cable-sheave 37 to place when the gates are thrown around to cross the wagonroad. The end of the gate strikes the triplever 43 and releases the sheave 37, and then spring 42 pulls the warning-board back 'to its place by means of sheave 37 and shaft 36, before specified. Said spring 42 is fastened at its outer .end by eyebolt 39 to the casing 34.

The spring 44 is designed to hold the lever 43 in engagement with the teeth on the sheave 37, and is fastened at one end to lever 43 and at its other end to a plate and lug 45.

Trip 47 should be set far enough up the track to admit of persons crossing the track after the turning of the warning-board before the gates close. Said train next strikes the trip 27,1presses down the arm standing up,

and fastens it in springs 29. Now the cable 11 is double, (as all the cables are except cable 35 of the warning-board,) one strand is on the south side of the main cable-sheave 17 and one is on the north side of said sheave. The cable-strand on the south side is run on the under side of cable-sheave 24 of the trip on the WGStSldB of the gates, and the north cablestrand is run on the top side of the sheave, each one being fastened to said sheaves 17 and 24, as before stated. The cast trip-shaft sheave 24 has its cable 11 reversely arranged. Thus the south cable-strand running east from the south side of sheave 17 is run over the top of trip-shaft sheave 24 and the north cable-strand runs from said sheave to and under sheave 24. They both are fastened on the sheaves, as specified before. When either set of trips is turned to open the gates, the arrangement described causes the eastern and western gates to move in opposite directions.

An approaching train striking one of the trips 47 pushes it toward the gates, thus drawing the cable 35 and bringing the warning board across the wagon r'oad. The lever 43 slips into one of the notches X when the strain is gone and holds the Warning-board until the gates swing around and the buttends of the gates strike the lower end of lever 43 and push it in, thus releasing it from the sheave 37, which is instantly-drawn back to its proper place by means of the spiral spring 42.

Obviously in adapting my invention to single and double tracks and to tracks on the same and diiferentlevels changes in mechanical construction and arrangement of parts will be necessary. However, these changes are such as will suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic and will not alter the scope and spirit of the invention.

Havingthus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In a railroad-gate, the combination of-the gates adapted to swing in ahorizontal plane, the rods 3, the sheaves 4:, attached to the rods 3,.the cables 5, having springs 6 and turnbuckles 7, the sheaves l7 and 13, the cable 11, the shaft 23, having the sheave 24, around which the cable 11 passes, and the trips 27 on the ends of the shaft 23, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the gate-post, the gate hinged thereto, and the cable 5 for operating the gate, of the stop D on the gate, the latch 9, pivoted to the gate-post and adapted to engage with the stop I), .the stop E for limiting the movement of latch 9, and connection 8 between latch 9 and cable 5, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with the posts 2 2, the gates, the rods 3 3, forming a hinge-connection between the gates and said posts, and the cable 5, having connection with the said rods 3 3 to open the gates simultaneously, of the stops D on the gates and the pivoted latches 9 9 on said posts for holding the gates shaft 23, and connections between the gates and shaft, substantially as described,'of the casting 28, the curved trip-arms 27, disposed at right angles to one another and curving inward, the pins 30, pivotally connecting the trip-arms with the casting, the springs 32, mounted on the pins and adapted to return the said arms to an operative position, and

the spring-catches 29, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the gates, the shaft 23, and connections between the gates and the shaft, of the casting 28, the trip-arm 27, pin 30, washer 31, placed on the'pin and adapted to be fitted in the casting 28, the spring 32 between the trip-arm and washer, and the spring-catches 29, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER WARREN JOHNSON "Witnesses:

E. A. THOMAN, J. M. BLACK. 

